


the blackout » phan

by orphan_account



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Apocalypse, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phanfiction, phanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-09-26 12:37:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9896771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What do you do when something that you deeply rely on disappears? That's what happened to Dan Howell's world. The Government turns off the power. That includes every electronic device, forms of transportation, basically every and any form of electricity. Then the militia takes over, kidnaps people, and forces them to join them so they can rule and take over the world. Dan's father gives him something; a pendent that could save him and anyone else who had managed to escape the militia's clutches the night it happened. He wasn't sure what to do with it yet; but someone does. His new friend's name is Phil Lester, who travels with a group in hopes for a miracle. Well, they found one. But the long adventure to saving the world isn't easy.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> this is also on my wattpad just under a different title so dont be alarmed :-) pls enjoy!

❛❛WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHY THE POWER WENT OUT  
BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL SOMEONE WILL COME AND LIGHT THE WAY. ❜❜

 

_Seven years ago .._

Dan remembers clearly the day that it happened. It had haunted him; every day and night since forever. The day that the power went off, and the United Kingdom militia took over. Everyone was scared, confused, and so much more. Dan, especially, was panicking. He was eighteen at the time, and in the middle of the night he was studying on his laptop. His laptop suddenly powered down, and the lights shut off in every room in the house. After checking and wondering - everything was off. His phone, his video game consoles, anything electronic was just not powering on. It couldn't have been a storm - the weather was clear, and even if it was, his devices should be turning on just fine anyways. Then it happened.

"Dad, what's happening?" He asked, clutching his hands to his chest in fear. There was sudden screaming coming from outside, covering over the wondering voices of what was going on. His father had worked under the Government, and came home all worried and upset about something, but told Dan it was nothing. By the way he was shutting the blinds and rushing around the house, shoving stuff in his bag, there was something more going on than nothing. "Dad!" He shouted when he was ignored, the screaming from outside getting louder and giving him more anxiety, grabbing his father's arm to stop him. "Talk to me, what's happening - !"

As soon as the words were out, Dan's father whirled around and covered his son's mouth to cut him off, like he was scared that someone would hear. "Quiet," he hissed in demand. When he pulled away, Dan looked back at him with wide and terrified eyes. "Dan, listen to me closely," he whispered more gently this time. "Something is going to happen, something bad, and I need you to be ready, so are you listening? We can't run out of time," He stated, waiting for Dan's quiet but fearful nod. "Good. Something happened at work today - a new way of living, a much more worse one. They're taking over, and we're all in danger."

His words were scaring Dan so badly, to the point that his eyes were filling with tears. "Dad, please," he begged, interrupting him. "What's happening? I don't understand.." He was suddenly breathing heavier, like he was on the verge of an anxiety attack. But he didn't have time to panic, and his father knew that. He gripped Dan's arm and dragged him downstairs into the basement with Dan coughing out terrified splutters the whole way there.

"Daniel James Howell," his father snapped, cutting him off once more after locking the basement door behind him. "You're strong and you can do this. Here," he shoved the bag he had into Dan's hands. "There's enough supplies out there to last you awhile. You're smart, son, you'll learn quickly, okay?" He set his hand on Dan's shoulder. "I love you, Dan. You can do this, I know you can. Fix the world."

Before Dan could reply - possibly ask more questions, demand to know more about what's going on, there was the sound of a window shattering from upstairs and then heavy boots pounding on the floor. His father gasped at the sound and tears filled his eyes as he gripped a pendent that he had on a chain around his neck and ripped it off before shoving it into Dan's hands. "You'll know what to do with this soon," he whispered. The door to the basement suddenly flung open, and they could hear the shouts of "Howell!" before stomping down the steps. "Go, Dan!" He shouted, shoving him towards the open window. "Get out! Now!" He shouted, more rapid and louder as two men - in strange, black uniforms strolled closer to them. Dan watched in horror as his father suddenly attacked them, pushing them back - away from Dan.

There was a sound of more footsteps, and Dan knew he didn't have a choice. He grabbed the ledge of the window and hoisted himself up, scraping his feet against the stone wall until he was pulled up enough to swing his foot over and pull his body through. Once he was on the grass of the outside, he stood up carefully and looked around. There were people, screaming, and being tackled to the ground after pulled out of their homes before having their hands twisted behind them so the guards could put silver cuffs on their wrists.

It wasn't safe. He has to run. So he did, run. His feet hit pavement, grass, any type of ground quickly and his heart pumped in his chest as the bag he had hit his legs. He could hardly tell where he was running - the lamp posts that would usually have a light bulb on in them were off, and it was too dark to tell, but Dan was sure he knew the streets like the back of his hand. He also knew where some of them led to, the only place he was sure would be safe because there was no one there. The woods.

When he got there, he was nearly tripping over every branch and hitting every tree as he picked up the pace to block out the screams of other people. He was as deep as he thought he could get in there, until he had finally stopped when he was pressed against a large tree. There, he had begun sobbing. He cried until his whole body wracked with sobs and he slumped to his knees, his tightly clenched fists hitting the ground. He was then reminded of what he was holding - the small object digging into his palm. Dan used his free hand to wipe at the tears streaming down his cheeks while he opened his other hand to see the necklace he was given. It was a simple bronze chain that had a green type of shape, of a long diamond. Dan didn't know what it was for - or why it was so important that his father gave it to him, but he wrapped it around his neck and swore he would do exactly what his father's last words were to him - he would fix the world.

-x-

_Meanwhile ..._

Phil had been working in the hospital in Manchester for what felt like endless hours. He was tired, but the patients needed him, so he would fight the tiredness as best he could. No, he wasn't a doctor that could snap his fingers and save a life. He was only a nurse, and could keep a patient holding on until a doctor would do what they were trained to do. Currently, he was tucking in a small girl that had recently had her tonsils removed. He wished her goodnight, asked her if she needed anything else, and when she had shook her head, he smiled and left. The girl was his last patient for the night, and by night, he means it was nearing five AM.

Tired and in a haze, Phil wandered into the patient's dressing room where he changed his uniform in for his jeans and a sweater. It was when he was grabbing his bag and slipping it over his shoulder, was when he was suddenly startled by the lights flickering once before turning off and making the room pitch black. He was instantly annoyed - he's always hated the dark, and a hospital shouldn't be having electricity problems, especially with patients that depended on it. He spent a few seconds blindly turning the light switch on and off to see if that would fix it, but was soon shocked by the shouting and beeping coming from upstairs. He opened the door and raced upstairs, where people were running around, trying to turn on the phones or hitting flashlights against the palm of their hands to try and get it to work. Phil pulled his own phone out and saw that it was completely black and no matter how much he pressed the power button, the screen wouldn't turn on.

That's when there was screaming, right after Phil heard a door being kicked down. He stumbled back in shock when men, all dressed in black guard uniforms and holding these strange stick figures, stomped inside. He watched in horror as people began screeching after being attacked, hit, and thrown to the ground before having cuffs slapped on their wrists. He was not only horrified by what he was witnessing, but scared and confused. This wasn't supposed to be happening, what was even happening? Phil was frozen in place, and watched as more people in the halls - visitors, patients, nurses, doctors, go down, and the guards were getting closer.

Suddenly, Phil had jumped when he felt a tight grip on his arm. He whirled around in fear, ready to fight - even though he wasn't a fighter, when he had calmed as best he could when seeing it was only PJ, a secretary that worked at the hospital with him. "Phil, we have to go!" He shouted over the noise. Phil nodded back, still to shocked to speak, when PJ kept the tight grip on his arm and blindly dragged him down the hall. They didn't bother with the escalator, and instead raced past people, especially the guards until they reached the fire escape.

"This is insane," Phil was finally able to say once they were past the now locked door, and in an even dark room, with a long line of stairs. They had no source of light, and were going to have to blindly follow their steps to make it out to the outside. "I - I mean the patients, how are they going to survive? Some were depending on the electricity," he babbled, gripping PJ's hand, just incase him or his friend fell.

In the dark, Phil could faintly hear PJ sadly clear his throat as they made their way down the steps. "I think we have more important things we have to worry about," he murmured. "We have to make it out of here and go some place safe. Something happened, that wasn't an accident," he then pointed out.

PJ was right, and Phil knew that. And he was scared because of it. Phil had friends, family, who knew what were happening to them too? Were they suffering just like the other people inside the hospital were? There were so many unanswered questions, and he needed someone to answer them. But for right now, the main thing he had to worry about was finding some safe place. But that always brings another question - where is safe?


	2. Running

That night was seven years ago. Today is no different; except that it's only worse. There were still people living in houses, but they were, in a word, completely brainwashed. They truly believed that the government was only protecting them in some weird and scary way. Somehow, they just continued living like normal and just without electricity. As for the people who were taken that night, well, Dan had no idea what happened to them. They were taken by the government, and no one knows, or would bother to ask about it. Nobody had to ask anyways, because those kidnapped people were soon out on the streets in the same black guards uniform and emotionless look on their face.

Dan has been running, and he hasn't stopped, for seven years. He hasn't stopped counting the endless days. It has exactly been two-thousand five-hundred and fifty-five long days since the very first day. Dan would move from staying in the woods over the days, mostly, and then he'd stay with a kind friend who had been sneaking in and out runners into the large house she had. People had come and gone, but by far, Dan was the most important. That was all he was now, though. A runner. He didn't know anything else. He was thankful that he had grown out of the baby-face he had, because he was being hunted by the guards. They for sure knew he still carried the pendent and were searching for it endlessly. During these years, he still wasn't able to figure out what was so special about it. He's tried everything, but as far as he could tell, it was nothing but a green diamond attached to a chain that he never let off his neck. Instead, he left it tucked inside of his shirt or jacket, especially when he went out.

To others, how Dan has been living is harder than anything. They would be right. Dan was sure that he was depressed, and had grown to have major anxiety and trust issues. He was also sure that he was now pretty much borderline insane. Why was that? Because, he thought he was safe enough to let his guard down, just for a night. He was tired, unbelievably tired, and trusted that his friend would allow him to stay safely inside the hotel. That was before loud gunshots and screaming had suddenly awoke him from his slumber.

At the sound, Dan was instantly awake and rolling out of the bed. He didn't know who was here, and who they were hurting, but he had to go. He swiped up his bag, the same bag his father left him with, and didn't bother grabbing anything else. There was nothing that he needed more. The room he was in had an escape window, which had a short metal staircase that he would have to climb down. The panic really started settling in when he heard shouting coming from the other rooms, demanding to know where "Howell" was, and the window wasn't budging open. Maybe it was locked. Finally, he had enough.

The insane thought Dan had in mind suddenly seemed not so insane. Jumping up, he gripped onto the curtains and pulled as hard as he could until they gave and fell to the floor with a quiet crash. He was about to make much more noise though, as he slipped the curtains off and picked up the rod before crashing it against the window. All it did at first was leave a large crack on the window, not yet shatter it. He could hear more shouting, so he worked faster, slamming the rod onto the glass with scared grunts until it suddenly gave way and shattered. He threw the rod aside and slipped the bag onto his shoulder before crawling out of the window. He could feel the pieces of shard glass digging into his hands and legs as he climbed, but the door to the room had swung open just as his feet hit the metal stairs. He didn't hesitate and had started running, gripping onto the rail as to avoid falling.

When Dan could hear more hollering and feet, as he was only a foot above the ground, he saw something through a window into the house that made his heart stop and sadly wince. On the floor was a body - the same woman who had taken Dan in, given him shelter when he needed it, and protected him - was now laying on the floor, sprawled out and dead, with a bullet hole in her forehead to prove it. Right now was no time to mourn, he had to run. That was the only thing he was good at, these days. So with tears in his eyes, he did. Dan bolted away from the house and his dead friend, and ran. There were people behind him, he knew that. He didn't have to look behind him to know it was the guards.

Except Dan needed to. He already knew that it was the guards, but they could shoot at him and he had to be ready to avoid it, and he had to know how many. But that was a mistake. The second that Dan did turn around, just for what seemed like a second, he had suddenly tripped. He cried out in utter pain when something sharp had dug into his leg, deep and bad. He tried standing up, because he was closer to the woods and tripped over a barbed wire. There, he could hide in a tree, or something, but the second he was on his feet, he was down again with another grunt of harsh pain. He reached down quickly, trying to touch what he thought was just a scratch, but gasped when he felt the stinging pain as his hand was coated in a deep red blood.

Fuck. Dan was fucked.

Except, he wasn't. The pain was becoming too much, and Dan had felt like he was about to pass out as he was growing dizzy. That was when he was sure that he was hearing yelling from much softer voices. Suddenly, there was two hands on him, helping lift him and an arm wrapped around his waist. Dan's head lolled limply onto the shoulder of this stranger - at this point, he didn't care a bit whether it was a guard bringing him away to be tortured, he just didn't care anymore. He was ready to just give up, because he was tired of running and hiding for seven long years.

"Hey, try to stay awake and help run," a voice whispered quietly in Dan's ear. He hadn't realized how weak and limp he was becoming, but that was when he thought he was being carried away by a guard who had caught him. When Dan blinked a few times, he could just barely see through the blur that he was in the woods and there were other people. He tried moving his good leg and limp along as best he could with the support of the new stranger and his encouragement to keep going.

"Phil, here!" Another voice called out. Dan was being turned, until his body was forced to be crouch down. "Stay, I'll lead them away," the voice continued before Dan heard feet, more than one pair, despite the quiet sputtering protests of whoever was still holding onto him. That was when Dan had figured that he was safe, at least somewhat, and let his guard down again. But only because the numbing pain in his leg had finally taken over his head and was begging for the rest. For now, there was no choice, and Dan knew that when black spots dotted his vision and soon took over.

-x-

When Dan did wake up again, he was gasping and twisting in pain. His hand suddenly flew up and gripped at the pendent wrapped around his neck, which was a force of habit he has grown to do since the beginning, whenever he woke up. It was still there, thankfully, but now there was another thing to worry about. As far as he could tell, he was back in the woods in a clearer area and on his back. He tried sitting up, ignoring the stinging pain he felt in his leg telling him not to do so otherwise, until there was a hand on his chest that stopped him.

"Hey, hey! That's not a good idea," a voice said. Dan looked up to see the most stunning pair of blue eyes and small, comforting smile that had made him feel all warm inside. "You aren't looking so well. I'd try and rest more if I were you," he suggested, propping Dan up into a comfortable position until he was against a tree. "There. Are you okay?" He asked, pressing the back of his hand against a silent Dan's forehead.

"As okay as I can be, I guess," Dan mumbled out. He looked away from the stranger for a second, seeing his leg wrapped up in a bandage. When he moved it, he could feel the stitches and it was beyond him how this guy got this stuff. "Who are you?" He suddenly asked, wondering if this stranger was an actual angel sent to him from heaven because he was so sure that there was no one that would be kind enough to risk their own lives to help him.

"My name is Phil Lester," he replied gently. "I was a nurse before this, and it's kind of easy to piece these medical topics together. I saw that you tripped over that wire and knew I could help," he explained. Phil was never the type of person to leave someone to die, whether or not he knew them. He was just too kind and cared too much, even though the world that he has known turned from good to bad. Phil then pointed back to the side of Dan, and he had turned to see some others. "That's PJ Liguori, Mark Fischbach, and Hazel Hayes. They led the guards away from where we were hiding," he continued. "What about you? What's your name?"

"Dan. I'm Dan Howell," Dan murmured back, giving the group the tiniest of nods. He was still feeling not only weak but tired, and needed more rest and comfort than on the ground. Hell, a real doctor too. His leg was messed up and needed more medical attention. But those things were luxuries, and Dan was nothing but someone being searched for by the militia.

Tilting her head, Hazel stared at Dan for a second before asking a question that's been bugging not just her but everyone else in her group. "Hey, why were there so many guards chasing after you?" She questioned, and Dan had instantly caught onto her Irish accent. "I mean, one or two is something normal against runners like us, but you had like an army," she continued, tucking her loose blonde hair behind her ear.

Dan let himself knaw at the tip of his tongue in silence for a second before shaking his head at her question. "No, I don't," he lied simply. The lie was stated so stale and plain that Phil had looked at him for a split second, his eyebrows raised and confused, as he had quickly caught onto the lie but he didn't speak up or press the matter. Dan was thankful for that; because what he had should just be meant for him, right? This was his given job, he had to figure out what the green pendent did and fix the world with it, just like his father said. He couldn't drag anyone else into it, what if they were hunted too? Or what if they were apart of the militia, that were lying to him? They didn't look very threatening. Plus, wouldn't they have taken him to the center in London if they were already?

Even though Dan was scared, he was going to eventually cave. He didn't have much of a choice anyways.


	3. Finding A Light

It turns out, Phil had a camp. It wasn't too far away, and it could have easily passed off as a small farm. It had men, women children, and they looked like they've been there for awhile. There wasn't really a leader, they all just worked together to make sure it worked. Dan was amazed at how beautiful it was - even though it really wasn't much of a sight to look at. It was still beautiful to him, to just witness so many people coming together and building something to stay alive. Of course, because there was so many people, they were noticed by the militia. There was no hiding this group. They had to pay a fine of crops and whatever else they had once a month, and sometimes if they couldn't pay it, someone would be forced to go with them.

So that meant supplies were an important thing to have. Any type and any kind of supplies was useful. Dan really didn't have much, due to how he only carried around a small bag. He couldn't risk much more, and he couldn't just wander through the streets when he feels like it. The other three who were in Phil's small group had gone out looking for more, as Phil stated he would have to stay behind and watch Dan as he was the only medical attention at the camp. Everyone had their own jobs, this was him. The three would have to be careful, and they promised that they would. Dan didn't even know them that well yet and it still worried him that they would be caught and hurt in some way or another. He knew the guards after a few run-ins, and they were not very friendly.

"That's basically it," Phil finished, after showing Dan around and explaining what was inside the camp. He had a pair of crutches that he gave to Dan, making it easier for him to walk, as he gave him a small tour of the campsite. "I mean, it's not a lot, but we always take people in. You're not a burden," he also assured him, leading Dan into the medical center. It wasn't a lot, just a small tent with a picnic table and a shelf of supplies. There was a bit, but not enough to break the law. That is, the law that the militia made. "Here, you can take a seat," he offered. "I'll get some more bandages, we have to change yours."

Quietly, Dan took a seat. He watched as Phil grabbed a rolled up white bandage and took the one off his leg before starting to wrap this new one in silence. Dan wasn't really sure what to say to him. Surely, he was more than grateful that he was taken into a camp and saved from the deep cut in his leg. He would have been taken by the guards had he not been saved and god knows what would have happened to him from there. But he was worried. Somehow, the militia knew who and where he was. He would always be caught, and the longer he stayed, the more these people would be in danger.

While Dan thought, Phil did too. He has been dying to know something, since well, meeting him and Hazel asked. He's just beyond curious, because it was so obvious that Dan was lying and hiding something. He hasn't really said much, which had only arose the suspicion. "Can I ask you again why there were so many guards chasing after you?" He asked, trying to be as careful as possible. He didn't want to toy around with something that may be a sensitive topic to Dan.

Little did Phil know, it was. Dan hated them with every bit of bit of his body, and he hated to talk about them despite the fact that they ran the world he lived in. But, Dan wasn't sure how to avoid the question. He managed to last time, but Phil had managed to catch onto the lie. Plus, it's not like he could hide it forever, not if he was stuck with them now. "They want what I carry," he stated. "Apparently it can fix the world.." He trailed off, unsure. It's not like he even knew himself what it did.

"Fix the world?" Phil repeated Dan's words in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows. He wasn't sure that he heard it right. "What can that mean?" He asked. Dan didn't answer, and instead reached under the collar of his shirt pulled out a type of green pendant that was attached to a necklace around his neck. Phil felt his heart drop at the sight of the small object and couldn't help reaching out to brush his fingers against it with wide eyes. He's seen it before, and knows what just what it does. "Dan, do you even know what this is?" He said, continuing his interrogation.

Dan couldn't miss the sudden way that Phil's expression looked so shocked and startled. His questions were so quick, and it even took him by surprise. After seven long years, was it finally possible that he was going to find out what this thing does and how it can fix the world, according to his father? "I don't," he answered honestly. He reached behind him and undid the chain so he could hand it to Phil, whose fingers turned it over in amazement. "Do you know what it does?" He asked, watching in interest. He's waited so long to find out whatever it is does, and is desperate to know at this point. It has brought him to be wanted by the government, and hunted down endlessly, so to finally find out the use of it was more than exciting.

"Yeah," Phil replied, still staring at the small object in his hand in amazement. "At the hospital, during a storm, there was a power outage in some rooms. Some of the patients needed the electricity, or they wouldn't have survived. Some agent or whatever, I don't really know where he was sent from, brought in something like this," he explained. "Whatever it is, it turned the power back on and helped a lot of the patients. I think.." He paused, drawing in a small and shaky breath the mull over his correct words. "I think we can turn the power back on with it."

"What?" Was the only word that Dan figured he could say. Everything else seemed lost in his throat. It has just been so long since he has seen any form of electricity, and to hear that he has been carrying something that could fix it was terrifying but exciting all at once. "Turn the power back on? With that?" He repeated, the words sounding foreign and strange on his tongue. He wasn't used to such a thing, it just has been so long. He can't remember what a light even looked like now. He felt like he was just in way over his head, the whole idea of this tiny pendant being able to turn on electricity was just too insane and too much for him to handle all at once. "You can't be serious," he stated, trying to dismiss it.

But Phil was shaking his head quickly. His hands were practically trembling in excitement. "Dan, I swear it did," he promised. "I mean, just come with me.." Dan hobbled to his feet and quickly reached for his crutches. He limped after Phil who was speedily walking to some part of the camp with the necklace now hidden in his shirt pocket in the fear someone would see it and notice what he knew that it did. He led Dan partially into the woods, where a small cabin was. He explained quietly that this is where they hid certain people, as it was the safest shelter they had. At the doorway Dan stood and watched as Phil played with the plastic of the nearest outlet for a moment, ripping it off, as it was rotting and already falling from its position as the cabin wasn't so put together. Phil was quick to play with the wires for a moment, moving some parts around, before putting the green pendant in.

It took a minute or two of complete and scary silence that was so quiet you could probably hear their hearts beat fast. Dan was ready to speak up, tell Phil to just let it go, because it wouldn't work. But it did. Because soon, the light above them began flickering. Dan's head whipped back to look at the ceiling. He had to blink a few times when his breath hitched in his throat to be sure he was seeing right and he wasn't dreaming. "Oh my god," he breathed out. He watched in complete and utter astonishment as the bulb suddenly stayed on. The light was so amazing to look at, and he nor Phil could look away. "It's on!" He gasped, feeling tears of relief prick at his eyes. "The light - it's on?!"

"Oh my god," Phil had repeated in the same breathless tone. It has been seven years since he had seen any kind of light, and seeing it now was something he wasn't ever going to forget. "Dan, uh.." He paused to look down at the green pendant. "I think you can fix the world with this.." He reached for it and pulled it out before twirling it in his fingers. The light had shut off, but the feeling of pure disbelief had lingered in their feelings. They could hardly believe it, but it had just happened right in front of them. Yet, it did raise a serious question. How would they fix the world with this?

-x-

"London. It has to be in London."

It took so much explaining and demonstrating, but when the three came back, they had shown all three - Mark, PJ, and Mark, what the pair had. They had to do something, so Dan had questioned if the one thing they could do is turn the power back on. They would have to go to where the militia all came from, the highest point in the UK. Hazel had spread a map on the picnic table, and they were pinpointing where to go. No one was even thinking clearly, they were in way over their heads, but they just weren't thinking so clearly.

Phil's pen put a star right on London once Hazel had pointed it out. "What do we even do with it when we get there?" He asked, scratching at his chin. They can't just travel all that way and then panic when they have absolutely no idea what to do from there. Dan nervously reached up and touched the necklace around his neck when he realized Phil had a well point. He couldn't lose this necklace, he would lose everything he has to live for.

"There has to be something there that can work with this," PJ cut in. "I mean, the government fell, and that's just where the militia work. There has to be, like, a headquarters or something," he continued, studying the map closely and trying to look on the positive outcomes of the journey that they were ready to take.

But there wasn't much positivity to look at. What they wanted to do wasn't safe. "There could be a lot of things there," Dan retorted. "Like, guards with guns shooting at us. Maybe we shouldn't do this.. Maybe I should just go alone," he continued, almost worried again. That was a stupid idea, but it was the only one he had. He's been alone, on his own, for seven years. Going another long time by himself was really no big deal either, to him anyways.

"Absolutely not," Phil argued. He nodded to Dan's bad leg to further make his point across. "You wouldn't make it out of the woods with that leg alone. We're going to help you," he assured him, reaching out and gently putting the palm of his hand over Dan's. The action sent a feeling of warmth throughout Dan's body and he felt his fingers curl up shyly under Phil's hand. The smile that Phil gave him made him feel even better. "Besides," he continued. "It'll be a trip to London. I'm sure nothing can go wrong."


	4. Escape Route

_My boots thudded on the ground as I stormed through the woods. I was blindly following the trail that was left for me in the dark. I hated the militia for many reasons, but for making me stumble over my feet in the dark to find them was definitely one of them. I was getting annoyed already, because the only light source I had was the moon. Soon enough though, I could see a figure of a man with the usual uniform on, except for a flowing cape that rested on his shoulder. I flinched when a branch scratched at my arm just as I approached him._

_"Have to be more careful," the deep voice spoke from in front of me. His tone of voice hinted he was smirking smugly at me, and I absolutely hated it. Every emotion and conscience inside of me was telling me to turn back around, back to the safety of the camp, but I was already here. I didn't even know what would become of me if I did so. I knew this man; and I knew exactly what he has done and more, especially what he's capable of doing. "Shouldn't have never left America, or whatever is left of it, before the blackout," he continued, his voice almost singing with pleasure, as he knew it was irritating me._

_"Shut up," I practically hissed. I didn't want to talk about what I had to leave behind. There was no way back after the blackout, but I wished there was. After what I did here, in the United Kingdom, there was no forgiving myself. Now, I was forced to do what seemed to be so much worse. "Do you want to know what's happening, or not, you ass?" I demanded, frustrated. I didn't want to tell him anything, but I wasn't given a choice. He has something, someone, that he dangles in front of me if I don't comply._

_I heard the sound of his boots scraping against the ground as he stepped closer. "That's general to you," he retorted, his voice cold and emotionless. I knew what it was. It was a warning, that I needed to drop my bad attitude before something bad happened. "Yes, I would love to know what you know. Enlighten me," he instructed, crossing his arms over his chest silently, urging me to speak._

_"It's Howell," I spoke. "Or, well, his son, Daniel. One of ours, Philip Lester, saved him." I didn't have to see to know that the guard in front of me was pleased to hear this news. "He's wounded from the recent attack, his right leg. It's not a good time to strike," I tried my best to suggest, almost too quickly. Even though I just wanted this all to be over, couldn't tell him about the light we have found from Dan's necklace. I was nothing; but a betrayer. I felt sick talking to him, every word that came out of my mouth made me awful, but I was given no other choice but this one._

_But the general quietly hummed in thought before shaking his head. "It is," he disagreed, making my heart drop. "Howell is weak, the people at your camp are weak from the taxes you had to give up, there won't be much of a fight. We can appear tomorrow morning," he decided. I could hear him move, like he was turning around and ready to leave like that was the end of the conversation, but it couldn't be._

_"No," I protested, my voice clear as I stood my ground. He slowly turned back around to face me, and I wanted to crumble and cave, but I wouldn't just yet. "We're travelling tomorrow morning, all the way to London.. He.." I sighed, pausing. I didn't want to have to tell him, but I had to. I had to take the only choice I was given. "Daniel has a necklace. It has a pendant, that can turn the power back on. He showed us," I finished with a hushed whisper. "We're going to London. I'll lead him to you myself," I swore. "Do you want to do that, or have Philip Lester and his friends follow you guys there?" I pointed out, my arms crossed over my chest. "You can show up tomorrow morning and take Dan and the pendant, so you will be followed by the rest of us, or you can let me lead him straight to London. It'll be a longer process, but it's easier for the both of us," I offered simply._

_There was a moment of silence as the general thought it over. "Okay," he agreed plainly. "I want your word that you and your group, whoever is escorting him, will be at London one of these days, while keeping me updated on every step that Howell takes on this journey," he demanded, sticking his hand out, a sign of his agreement was going to be kept and taken seriously. He waited patiently for me to take it, but I wasn't going to just yet._

_"First I want your own word that who you took from me is alive," I almost spat out. It wrenched my heart to think about it, but I had to know. They were the reason that I was doing this, otherwise when I abandoned the militia, I wouldn't have kept in contact with a single one of them. They knew that, that's why they took the only person I had left that I cared about._

_"You have my word that they are still alive. But, be warned of the decision you made."_

_It wasn't like I couldn't be given a phone call, or a picture, of them to be shown that they were still alive. All I had was the general's word. Even though it was not much to go off of, I agreed, and clasped my hand in his before shaking it. With that, we parted ways without exchanging another word. I walked back to camp carefully, being as silent as I could, as I crawled back into the small army cot I had in a corner and tried to sleep for the rest of the night. The threat rang in my ear, while my conscience had gotten the best of me though, and I only was awake, thinking about the horrible mistake I made._

-x-

It wasn't often that Dan had gotten much sleep. He felt like he always had at least one eye open and was on edge because of his anxiety due to the guards searching for him. Tonight though, he felt like he slept for a full day., and it was great. However, his blissful sleep was soon interrupted when he felt a rough hand shaking his shoulder. "Dan!" A voice was hushing in his ear, sounding urgent and terrified. It had Dan up in seconds, mostly because he was used to it, only to be met face to face with Phil's worried face expression. He was instantly hit with fear, and the question is, why wasn't he used to it yet?

"Phil?" He said quietly when his eyes were fully opened. He sat up in the rough and small cot he was given to sleep on and pushed his blankets off. Instantly, his hand flew up to touch his pendant to be sure it was still there and sighed in quick relief, despite the tiredness, when feeling it through the thin layer of his shirt. "What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, noticing Phil wasn't nearly as relieved or ready as he was.

"They're here," Phil whispered, checking over his shoulder for a second to make sure no one had followed him inside. Dan's heart had dropped and he almost felt himself shudder. This wasn't fair, he had just found shelter - and they were supposed to be leaving in the morning. They should have gotten an earlier head start, why didn't he think this through? But there was no time for them to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, and Phil knew that. He reached under the cot and pulled out a small suitcase before handing it to Dan. "Can you shoot? Anything?" He asked and Dan had hesitantly nodded, remembering the training he had with his father with firearms before everything. He knew how to, he just didn't like to. "Okay. Crawl out the window there," he whispered, pointing behind him. "Go to the cabin in the woods I showed you earlier. There's a crossbow in there, with bows, use it if anyone tries to bust down the door," he instructed.

Phil didn't give Dan a chance to speak before finally leaving. He knew the militia would be counting the people they had and making sure everyone was there; and he wouldn't let anyone pay the price if he was absent. Dan acted fast, throwing the suitcase out the open window and crawling out after it. Once his feet his the ground, he swooped up the case and followed the trail inside the woods that he knew led to the hidden cabin. He was quiet as possible, opening the door and sneaking inside. He wasn't surprised to see people there, huddling with their knees against their chest against the wall in fear. Dan knew who they were. He may not know their names yet, but he knew what they were hiding here for. They had done crimes, mostly small ones, and would be punished by death for it. The group hid them here.

Dan found himself sliding against the wall until he had hit the floor with the case pressed to his chest. He removed it for a second and put it on the floor before popping it open. Everyone watch in silent interest as he pulled out a wooden crossbow that settled perfectly in his hands. "Aren't firearms outlawed?" A man spoke up, watching with wide eyes. A civilian holding any type of weapon, no matter what age or gender, would be shot on the spot. Only the militia were allowed to hoard weapons, because if the people did, they would fight back. Obviously, they couldn't have that. Not anymore they can have the power turned back on.

"They are," Dan replied simply, picking up a bow and loading it with a bow in case he would need to do so quickly. For the rest, he filled the quiver with them before sliding it over his shoulder. Then he had no choice but to sit, and wait. That had seemed to be something that he had to do a lot, for the past seven years. Just sit and wait. Wait to be caught, wait for the day would come that the militia would track him down and chain him to a chair for torture for what he has been carrying. He was tired of sitting, and waiting, in fear.

The fear Dan always carried around intensified when he heard shouting. It was louder than just arguing, it was more like the people were being attack. He couldn't just sit and wait this time, for someone else to die just for protecting him. He was going to hate himself later for this, that is, if he lived through it. "I'm going to be back," he whispered to everyone, his eyes darting around the room. "Stay here, and stay quiet." Dan was in no way a leader, and was just repeating what he was sure they already knew to do, but just reminded them incase. He stood back up, opening the door and closing it behind him again before taking off and pulling his black hoodie up and over his head. Instead of crawling back through the window, he circled around the camp with the crossbow in his hand. He was so used to sneaking around that it was easy to be quiet as he watched.

It was the guards that horrified Dan, obviously. They had Phil, who was shielding the leader of the camp, at gunpoint. There was other people on the ground, bleeding and coughing as guards beat them mercilessly. Dan wanted to shout for them to stop, but he couldn't give his position away. He swung the strap of the crossbow on his other shoulder and huffed quietly as he used all of his strength to pull himself up a thick tree that would be able to hold his weight. He swung one leg over a branch to settle himself and brushed aside a bush so he could get a clear shot.

Well, Dan was stupid. He was beyond that. But he wasn't ready to see someone who saved him die. Phil was going to, if he kept trying to save the leader. The guard in front of him, whose cape whipped around as he yelled and moved. He was demanding to know where Howell is, and that he knew Howell was nearby and they couldn't hide him. Dan felt sick at his words. He picked the crossbow up, angling it forward and holding it steadily. He sucked in a deep breath, hearing the man countdown. He was giving Phil three seconds to tell him where Howell is.

"Three.."

"Two.."

"One.."

And Dan pushed the trigger button. The arrow flew out, and hit the guard in the throat. He fell to the ground, gasping and spluttering, as he choked on his own blood. The shouting got worse, and bullets were suddenly flying in all directions as people hit the ground. Dan decided it was the perfect time to go. He was crawling back down the tree and flying into the camp as fast as he could and straight to Phil, who was staring at the dead man in shock. "We have to go, now," he demanded, ripping the bow out of the man's neck and putting it in the quiver. He didn't want to waste any arrows. "Go get whoever is coming and meet me in the back!" He shouted. Phil, seeming to come out of the state of shock, nodded back.

With that, Dan was off again. He only had to shoot at one guard who had lunged at him. He was quick to rip the arrow out and load the bow back up with it as he ran. Once he was at the back building of the group's hideout, he waited, counting down the seconds to himself until he heard pattering feet. He was, unsurprisingly met with the familiar faces of Phil, Hazel, PJ, and Mark once more. They didn't have any more time to waste. With, basically nothing but the hopes that they would reach London, they rushed off into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so ye if u dont understand the beginning there's a spy/betrayer in the group ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	5. The R Word

"Where are we going?" Dan asked, trudging his feet beside Phil's. Phil had taken the position as the leader and led them down a trail, which would have once been a road. But now, there were no cars running, so there was no need for a road. If the militia wanted to move, they would have either slaves or horses pull a wagon. This group of five was not so lucky, and they would just be wandering on their feet. It would be more than a long walk, but they didn't have a choice. Phil was currently thinking of that as he held open the same map they looked at and starred yesterday, spread out in his hands.

"Another camp," Phil answered, using one hand to point at a part of land to show Dan. "We know them, well, actually." He turned around to look at the others and stop his tracks, leaned forward, and started whispering quietly. Dan was instantly annoyed and crossed his arms as he watched as Phil had quietly talked to the other three, out of his ear shot. He didn't say anything though, and just silently watched as Phil was explaining something before finishing and turning around. "Okay, this way. It should just be a mile or two up the road," he said, not even bothering to explain what was so important that Dan couldn't be included, and instead started walking again.

Dan was silently seething but allowed himself to follow Phil. He somehow managed to make small talk with PJ, who was as it turned out to be actually pretty funny. He told him stories of happier times, before the blackout. It helped Dan forget a lot, as he walked and couldn't help but laugh. It felt good, too. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed at something. For the whole two miles, he held a discussion with the three of them while Phil led them to the, apparently secret place that he couldn't know about where they could stock up on supplies. He was curious and frustrated as to why he couldn't know about it for now , but somehow the three helped him forget it until they arrived.

Mark told Dan that he was visiting The United Kingdom from America, and got stuck in the airport because he missed his flight during the blackout. Hazel explained that she was on a long round trip in Europe, when she got stranded in The United Kingdom as well. She told Dan short stories he could only dream about of Ireland and how beautiful it was. Almost every day he wished that transportation vehicles still worked, whether they were planes, cars, boats, so he could leave. It's not like any country would be any better, probably. Other counties might be handling the blackout better, others might be handling it worse. Dan wasn't sure how much worse it could be than this, and if some other place had it worse, than it had to be hell.

Walking only took about forty minutes. They were so used to being able to use their feet for means of transportation that they just needed to take one short break until they reached their destination. It was some kind of large shackled down building, with two guards posted at the front gates. Instead of rifles, they both held swords in their hand. Dan was on edge the second he saw them, in fear they would attack first alternatively of asking questions. But the second they had seen Phil and the other three, they were relaxed, but still eyeing Dan wearily.

"He's with us," Phil stated warningly when seeing their glances. He stood in front of Dan, almost protectively, until the two strangers nodded in understanding and stepped aside to allow them access. When passing by, Dan couldn't help but notice a tattoo on one of the men's biceps. His eyes almost immediately bugged out when seeing the colorful square, with red, white and blue colored lines on the inside. It was now known as the rebellion flag, and was once The United Kingdom's flag. Since the blackout, the flag was heavily outlawed. If someone even as so much mentioned it, they were gunned down on the spot. It was a heavy topic for the militia, who were the ones that outlawed it in the first place.

Now Dan knew why Phil would whisper about the place in front of him. It was a rebellion camp, full of rioters, or better known as rebels, who fought against the militia. They were usually out of sight from the militia, and spent every second that they had planning on how to bring back what was the real United Kingdom. They were in danger every second of their lives, and suddenly, Dan was scared. Phil set a hand on his back and gently guided him inside, knowing the pain medicine had to be wearing off, while leaning to the side and whispering in his ear; "Don't tell them about the necklace." At his words, Dan nodded back to show that he understood and tucked the pendant under his shirt to keep it out of sight. The less people that knew about it, the better.

"Phil!" A loud voice called out. Phil released Dan for a second to go on and embrace the one who called for him. She looked small and happy, with curly short brown hair and a grinning face. To Dan, she had seemed way to peppy and happy to be living in an apocalyptic type of world. "Oh, you brought friends?" She noticed after seeing the group, peering over his shoulder. She released him before outstretching her hand to the first person she saw, who happened to be Dan. "I'm Dorothy, or Dodie will do," she introduced politely.

After a moment of hesitation, Dan had shook her hand. "I'm Dan," he replied, almost quietly. He was still overwhelmed by what was happening there. He's heard small rumors about the rebels, and they weren't positive nor negative. All they were was a group of people, spread about everywhere, that fought back against the guards and refused to join or pay them anything. He's never run into any, though. Not many lived if they were caught. He stepped aside as she, Dodie, went on to introduce herself to the other three as he looked around the room. There were people slumped against the ground, being attended to as they were wounded and others were just eyeing him and his group wearily.

"Hey, Dan." His thoughts were interrupted when Dodie's voice spoke. He turned back around to see her staring at his leg that was still wrapped up. It was becoming easier to walk in, but he would still need to lean on something or someone if he was on it for too long like he was earlier from the walking. "We have some medicine that could help numb the pain and prevent infection," she offered kindly. "Just follow me." Dan nodded back, still too dumbfounded to speak just yet, and followed her with Phil who had taken his side for him to lean against once more.

While Dodie had crouched and dug through a black, medical bag, Dan finally spoke up. "What place is this?" He asked, somewhat quietly, like he was to nervous to ask, as if he'd be afraid of the answer he would be given. He couldn't help the curiosity that was eating at him, though, from just seeing all that was around him. Despite the overwhelming feeling, he was still pretty amazed by it, that there were people fighting back.

Dodie looked back up at Dan and grinned. "We're rebels, rioters, whatever R word you want to call us. We're made to bring back The United Kingdom," she explained, digging through the bag again before pulling out two small white pill bottles. "There's a lot of groups like us, but I lead this one. We're the main headquarters, whatever you want to call it," she continued. She paused for a second to pull down the neck of her shirt, to show off the same flag tattoo Dan had seen earlier sitting on her shoulder. "The blackout won't change us."

Dan turned to look back at Phil who had his arms crossed over his chest and was listening just as intently as him. "What about you?" He asked, curiously. He couldn't help but think, how did Phil know about this place, unless he was one of them. Phil lifted up the hem of his shirt, revealing his own small flag against the pale white skin of his hip. "Is that why you wanted to help me?" He questioned next. "Because you're a rebel?"

"Yes," Phil answered honestly. "A lot of people at the camp were. But you know, that's not the only reason," he continued, confusing Dan and making him look at the other in question. "I do miss the world, and want to help bring it back. It's why I'm also apart of this group. But I want to help you too," he explained. "You've been alone, traveling by yourself, and I don't want that for someone as important as you."


	6. Someone New

"I would like to join you guys," Dodie started, and Dan hung onto the last word. He knew there would be a 'but' coming on. "But.. I can't," she stated, almost sadly. "I'm needed here. We aren't in the best shape since the most recent attack, as you can see." She paused to motion around with her hand. She was amazed by the light Dan had shown her in a private room, as not to startle anyone else in the sheltered place. Phil thought they could use her, as despite her sweet attitude she was still tough and could assist them with slim to no problem in their journey to London so he asked when the six sat at a round table, but she had to stay here in her place. Dodie could tell the others seemed to be slightly upset by it, and felt guilty. "But I don't want to leave you hanging," she continued to assure them. "There's someone I know that could probably help," she said, pausing for a second to think. "But, uh.. We might have a problem. He's been arrested."

Being arrested wasn't uncommon with the guards. Whether it was something of a small crime, like not paying taxes on time or staring at a guard the wrong way, as long as the penalty wasn't death then the one who committed the "crime" was forced into slavery for the guards. It wasn't humane, and Dan was glad that due to being in hiding, he never met the ones put into slavery. He was glad for that, he could only imagine how horrible it was. "Arrested?" Phil repeated in slight shock. "How do you know him? And why was he arrested?" He questioned, confused. He was amazed that someone Dodie knew, from the rebel camp probably had managed to get themselves taken.

"He's apart of the rebel camp," Dodie answered. "He helps me out a lot, actually. He's the toughest one here, I'm just a leader. He's the one who really holds us together and keeps us all tough too," she explained. "He'll help you guys, but we just have to help him. I've been meaning to, but in the state that we're in.. It just hasn't been safe," she continued, almost a bit sadly. Dan could sense Dodie felt guilty for letting him get arrested, somehow, but she was trying to brush it off and offer them a deal. If they saved her friend, he'll go with them to London.

"Perfect," Phil agreed. "We can do that." Dan didn't understand why his friend had agreed to do something so quickly, especially knowing the consequences. To break someone out of being arrested was something that they could get put to death for, but.. That's only if they get caught. "Dan, do you think you can help, though? With your leg?" He asked, peering down to look at the bandage wrapped around the others leg with some type of worry. He was all for saving someone innocent, but wasn't willing to put Dan into a situation where he couldn't run and get away like he was used to doing all this time.

Sighing, Dan pulled his leg forward until it was underneath the table and out of Phil's sight. He didn't want the wound on his leg, which was healing, be something to stop him from seeming tough enough to help. "I'll be fine," he assured him. "We just need to know what we're doing, and where this guy is," he said simply. "Do you know?" He asked Dodie. Prisoners could be anywhere - they could be dragging large weapons for the leader of the militia, or something worse, back in the woods usually. But to pinpoint one specific person had to be near impossible.

"I do," Dodie answered, catching Dan by surprise. She shrugged at the strange reactions she was being given. "I've been keeping an eye on him, making sure he's still alive. I couldn't go after him by myself though, not without others," she explained. "I know it's bad to ask, but.. He's my friend, and I care about him. And I know he'll help you, better than I'd be able to," she stated honestly. She pushed out her seat and stood. "I'll stalk you guys up, and then we can go find him." The rest stood up too, thanking her for the hospitality, and followed her. Dodie gave them what she could spare, as to not take away from others, before they took off. Hazel had offered to stay behind, watching over the rebel campsite until Dodie's return.

-x-

They followed Dodie in a direction they hadn't gone around from before, trusting her fully. Dan's leg was feeling better, but still a pain. It didn't help that he thought it was a good idea to climb a tree only hours earlier, so that's why it was worse than it should be. Despite the medicine still taking well effect on him, he still leaned against Phil's shoulder. It felt nice; the support from him, emotionally and physically. He still had a hard time believing that this was happening. That he has finally found a purpose, a group where they wanted to work on saving the world - but together. He wasn't alone anymore. And Phil, well, he seemed to just really care about Dan.

But Dan was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when Dodie held up a hand to stop them. They were crouched below a large bush as Dan heard the sound of people grunting in pain and like something was moving, similar to a wheel. But that wasn't possible, because with no electricity, no vehicles could move even with gas. He saw an explanation to that soon, though. People that had to all be only over the age of twenty, gripping onto the handles of a long wooden post connected to what looked like a green military tank. They were all dressed in loose white tank-tops and ripped knee length shorts. Anyone could tell they have been forced to do this non-stop, as they were drenched in sweat and gasping for air as they pushed it forward. Of course, the couple of guards on horses with firearms weren't about to help. They were the ones enforcing this. "What did they even do to deserve this?" Dan couldn't help but whisper.

"Most of them probably just didn't pay their taxes with crops and such," Dodie had whispered back, her voice hushed so she wouldn't be heard by the guards or any of the slaves and draw attention to them. She nodded and pointed with her finger to one of the people. He was gritting his teeth as he clenched the post with white knuckles. His caramel colored fringe was wet from the sweat and fell in his eyes. "That's him. I've been tracking them, making sure he was okay, and still.. With them," she explained, her voice trailing off, signalling she was nervous that her friend might have died doing this. Dan wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people had.

"Those are people," Phil murmured, his eyes were wide and he was horrified. Dan was sure he's seen some pretty heavy and horrible stuff, being on the opposite team and all, but Phil had still seemed to be shocked by the site. "We should help them. All of them," he suggested, his voice still quiet, but strong and determined as he eyed the slaves, not just Dodie's friend. His heart pained to see so many people in such pain, and paying the ultimate price for something as small as not paying their taxes.

"We should," PJ agreed, seemingly to be serious about it as well. "But we can't be dumb about doing it." He paused for a second, his eyes squinting as he watched the innocent slaves, just thinking. It only took him a few seconds before everyone could see the way his face changed when an idea hit him. "Mark, do you remember the wrist gun you made?" Back at their large camp, Mark was basically the handy-man. He was creative, and Phil described him as someone that was good at blowing things up. Back then, bombs relied on power, which is obviously something they lacked. Mark was smart enough to do it with a few things, including gunpowder, but they didn't need to blow them up now. Not just yet, anyways. If they did, the innocent ones would go with them.

"I do," Mark answered with a nod. "What about it?" He was confused at first, wondering why PJ was thinking of the weapon he had made once. It was a kind of bracelet, with a small lever that blew a bullet out with the right amount of gunpowder and tools. He found out pretty quickly what PJ was thinking when he really thought about it. "You think shooting one is the solution?!" He whispered, his voice quiet but surprised.

"If we shoot one, then we can catch the others off guard," Dan added quietly. "It's not a bad idea." It wasn't. If they could catch who looks to be the leader to drop his shield, they could kill him, and then easily kill the remaining few. "But who's going to be the one to do it?" He asked. There were five of them altogether, and Dan was the only one who had taken someone's life. As far as he knew, at least. That's what he thought. That's why everyone's gazes were turned straight towards him. "Hm. Okay. Guess it's, uh, me."

-x-

With the finishing touches, Mark carefully tied the straps around Dan's wrist. "You only have one shot, don't miss. Wait until you're close enough," he reminded him. He pointed to the hollow pole, where everything he made was put together. "When you're close enough, push it backwards with your hand. You won't have time to aim, so you have to be close, Dan. The bullet will pop out, and you have to grab the first weapon you see," he explained as best he could. The rules seemed simple enough. Just go up, and shoot some guy in the face. "Play an innocent character lost in the woods. You just need something to cover that up.." He trailed off, thinking.

"Here." Phil spoke up. He shrugged off his own jacket and had held it up until Dan blushed and put his arms through the sleeves. He carefully tugged the cuff of the sleeve over the wristband until it was out of sight, and would just be mistaken for a small lump if the guards were dumb enough. Which, they had to be. But something was off. By that, Phil was somewhat off. Everyone could tell, especially Dan. He was quieter and shuffling his feet as Mark was preparing the wrist gun for Dan. Before anyone could ask, he spoke up. "Is this the right thing to do?" He asked. "I mean, just.. Shooting some guy? Even if he is a guard?"

Dan frowned. He didn't understand why Phil was hesitant to this. "Phil," he spoke gently. "The guards have over twenty people as slaves. They are hurting some innocent people. And, we also need Dodie's friend," he explained. "Are we okay? Are we on the same side?" It took a minute after his question for Phil to understand and nod. He realized very quickly that Dan was right, and he just had to take the innocent ones into consideration. Not the innocent ones who were hurting and being forced to work. "Wait. Here." Dan paused and slipped off the necklace that he had carried around for so long and handed it to Phil. He couldn't wear it in front of the guards, he was already at risk of them seeing his face. "Okay. Then we have to do this now."

-x-

Faking innocence was something that Dan felt like he was ready to act to do. The crossbow he was given was dangling in his hand as he stepped out of the woods and into the open, where he would be noticed. That was the plan. He was spotted soon. One guard signalled for the slaves to stop pulling the tank and shouted at him. "Put it down!" He shouted in warning, raising his gun towards Dan. Dan dropped his weapon with every intention to grab it again when he would get the chance and held up his hands in defense, acting scared. "What the hell are you doing?" The guard barked at him.

"I was just hunting," Dan recanted, feigning innocence. "I'm sorry. I got lost." He kept his head held up, but let his brown eyes be wide and doey looking as another guard who was on a horse, holding a sniper rifle motioned for him to come closer. Dan did so, keeping his hands up, as he remembered. He'd have to be at least a foot away from his target. This man had to be it, he had to be their warden. Kill him, and the rest if needed. If he knew the guards and what they did like he was sure he did, than today they were all going to die by Dan's hands. Not that they didn't deserve it.

"So you're lost?" The warden repeated once Dan was close enough. It was any second that Dan could just shoot him now. When Dan nodded back, the warden hummed. "Well, I know the area pretty well, you know. I could help. Where are you from?" He questioned. Dan could see the cold and emotionless glint of his eyes behind his dark shades. If he had a camp, he knew what would happen to them if he exposed where he was coming from. In simple terms, there would no longer be that camp.

Dan was silent for too long. The warden took that as feeling something was wrong, and was about to repeat his question but Dan didn't give him the chance. He had suddenly swung the arm that had the wrist gun on it back as his other hand pushed down the arm and pushed the lever back. The bullet shot out and hit the man in the chest, who grunted in pain and shock as he fell off his horse. "He's armed!" Some guard shouted. A heavy body slammed into Dan's and tackled him to the ground.

On his back, Dan caught the gun with his hands as the guard kept him held to the ground. They were wrestling for dominance over the rifle as Dan heard his friends fighting off the others in the distance. Dan had both hands on the gun and pushed it as hard as he could, swinging his feet until he had managed to kick the guy in the chest. The second that the pressure was lifted off of him, he cocked the gun forward and pulled the trigger. Blood splattered out from the man's chest as he sunk to the ground, dead. Dan tried catching his breath, tilting his head back as his heart almost beat out of his chest.

"Dan? Dan are you okay?!" A rushed voice filled Dan's ears, and soon, Phil was right beside him. He was gently helping Dan up, wrapping an arm over his shoulders when seeing his state. "Are you hurt?" He asked again, using his thumb to wipe away some of the splattered blood on Dan's cheek. Dan could see the way he was genuinely looking at him with worry and it had warmed his heart.

Clearing his throat, Dan nodded. "Yes. I'm okay, I'm okay," he assured him quietly. He accepted the help Phil was giving him and stood up slowly, the sniper still in the hand that wasn't holding onto Phil's. His eyes flicked up to the others pair and he watched as Phil's face had slowly turned into a small smile. "Thank you," he said, releasing his hand and tightening it into a fist when his chest had fluttered and became warm. The moment only lasted for a few seconds before the two had heard a heavy voice.

"Hey, Bambi, nice show you had there. Thanks for the rescue. Can I have that sniper you're holding now?" The voice belonged to the one Dodie had pointed out from earlier; he was rubbing his wrists that were now free and his eyes were trained on the firearm still clutched in Dan's hands. "I didn't waste my time getting arrested on purpose to not get it anyways. This wasn't my plan, but it'll do." He seemed to have a bit of an attitude, not that he was angry, but more like annoyed that he was given help being rescued instead of just doing it on his own. Dan was expecting a thank you, at least, but it was clear he wasn't going to get one.

"Louis," Dodie spoke up in warning, using her knife to cut the rope tied around another slave's wrists. "Chill out." She handed the knife to PJ who would finish doing the job as she walked to him. Catching him by surprise, clearly, she pulled him into a tight embrace. "I should break your nose for that. What did you even do this for?" She demanded to know once pulling away. She, for the first time, looked furious and it was directed towards Louis.

"I had to," Louis retorted. "I stole from the militia and was planning to steal the sniper too before making my escape and handing it over to the Rebels. We need it," he explained before turning back to Dan. "So. Gun. I'll even say please." Even though he had somewhat of an attitude, he was also sarcastic and his tone of voice was putting a small smile on Dan's face even though he didn't want to admit it. He handed the sniper over, and something Dan hadn't expected was to see Louis return the smile in thanks.

"Now that it's over.." Phil started, looking between everyone in his group, including Dodie and Louis. "We have a lot of explaining to do."


End file.
